


The First Snow of 2028

by DrVauclair



Category: Deus Ex (Video Games), Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Genre: Bob missed his yoga lessons once again, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, F/M, GARM Facility, Illuminati, Illuminati Business at home, Snow, with some extra domestic fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2019-02-23 16:49:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13194387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrVauclair/pseuds/DrVauclair
Summary: Woken up by their dog who is excited about the first snow of the year, Robert and Gillian have to get up earlier and discuss a possible trip to the GARM facility in Switzerland and their associated plans with it.





	The First Snow of 2028

**Author's Note:**

> A little drabble inspired by the first snow we had here at the beginning of the month (as you can see I am a very fast writer). Some domestic fluff, some serious Illuminati business and discussions for you. I will add this as a chapter to my main fic when I (hopefully) reach this point in the story.

Gentle tugging on the warm, and thick blanket rocked the slumbering man out of his sleep, bit by bit. Groaning, frowning, followed by a desperate attempt to hide his face under the cover, but the tenacious beast wouldn’t give in - not until she reached her goal. With one strong pull it won the fight she had perceived as a playful competition, and her owner’s bare feet where exposed - immediately seeking warm refuge again. Finally, the man’s eyes started to open, still squinted to thin lines as only the passive red-glowing shined through. His breath became heavier with each passing second that turned his feet into blocks of ice and a deep growl emerged from his dry throat. 

With his face lifted, his mind ambled into reality and leaving the realms of dreams behind as he rubbed away the sleep from his eyes. Disoriented, the first thing he saw was the back of the head of the woman laying next to him, her hair white and ruffled. The urge to fall back into the soft sheets, wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her exposed neck was tempting, as it were the gate to the paradise he had been forcefully threw out of, but the moment he tried to move into her direction, another pull on his blanket reminded him that they were not alone. Smacking his lips and longing for a glass of water for his parched mouth, Page turned his head to source of a muffled, amused growl. The black Malinios happily wagged her tail the moment their eyes met, hitting the grey parquet floor in an irregular rhythm that only got faster when her master noticed her. The blanket between her fangs, Pan tilted her head in hope to get what she desires.

“Hmpf, what do you want, Pan?”, the drowsy man grumbled into his shoulder, his eyes closed again. But instead of an answer, the dog quickly jumped to the other side to fully uncover him. 

“Fiiiiiiine”, he snarled, an unpleasant goose bump covering his pale skin. “I get up, whatever. Happy now?” And she finally let go of the blanket, poking his right foot with her wet snub nose, causing the man to shiver and jerk his leg, disgusted by the sudden touch. Now, he has been marked, was finally defeated and denied any chance to return to his imaginary kingdom.

He crawled to the edge of the mattress, ran his fingers over his warm face and clapped it gently to beat out the remaining signs of slumber, although he wished to return to it’s illusions and peace. The floor didn’t cave in an inch when he got up and stretched his sleeping limbs - an extended yawn accompanying his movements. One last look at the resting woman still in bed to make sure her fragile sleep wasn’t shattered by the unexpected noises - her breath was regular, her lean chest moving up and down. She was deep in another world and with a smile, he hoped she took good care of what he had to leave for today. His steps were clumsy as he walked towards the plain wooden closet to grab the red cashmere robe that huddled against him immediately, stroking his soft skin as he tied it together to keep him somewhat warm. The excited dog gave him a gentle head-bump against his knee before trotting down the stairs to the open living space and with rolling his eyes, he followed his faithful companion.

“Why me? You would never do this to the Misses, right?” Robert complained walking down the stairs, his nose pinched. “Of course you wouldn’t, you like her way more than me, I always knew it! All he expensive food, the bribes, for nothing!” But Pan didn’t pay any attention to the grumpy ginger, hugging himself. “I still don’t know what you even want from me. Walkies? Oh and don’t you think I will give you the good treats after this stunt here. You got some making up to do, spoiled princess.”

The moment Page arrived at the lower floor, Pan revealed a content bark and jumped into the living room, and as soon as his eyes followed her, he immediately understood what everything was about. Charmed, his previously tensed expression turned into a delighted smile.

In front of him, the vast windows that occupied the whole side of the loft Gillian called her home offered the stunning view to another world. The Japanese Garden that was usually behind that glass had turned into a white landscape as far as his eyes could reach. Some plants remained steadfast and proudly presented their green among the covering white that robbed all other colours, but soon, their battle would be lost as well. Soft and big snowflakes danced down from the sky, swung from left to right before making their final land and added themselves to the beautiful picture nature is creating - knocking on the windows to herald winter’s arrival. For a moment, Robert thought he would watch a masterpiece being made instead of the garden he was so familiar with. He was always fascinated by this freak of nature - overnight, the world as he had it known had changed entirely without any leading sign.

The sensation of a wet snout slowly poking his knee brought him back to reality, broke the hypnotic spell that he was under, and with a little nod, he granted the dog’s wish - although the thought that this wonderful picture would be disturbed in a few seconds displeased him for a second. Quickly he opened the large glass door to allow Pan to conquer the white wastelands at their home, and without any hesitation she stormed off into the snow- jumping, diving her nose into it and chasing snowflakes in desperate attempts to catch them with her mouth. Her black tail wouldn’t stop moving out of joy, making one thing she could fly away anytime - happily barking and becoming one with her new friends. 

His elbow rested on the door frame as he scratched the auburn stubble on his chin - another uninvited guest from the night. The sight of his pet having the time of her life with something that simple filled him with joy, reminding himself how he felt when experiencing his first real winter and everything one would associate it with - but she was way more elegant than he was. His attention shifted away for a second, as it was drawn to the idle and passive glowing of menacing red reflected in one of the windows - his own reflection. Robert leaned in and tilted his head to take a closer look and the red, artificial ring that would now accompany him until his very last day - burned into his body. A content, confident smirk as he narrowed his eyes, a glance at the new face he still wasn’t used to, before it became a diffuse ghost as he focussed on the garden again. 

If it wouldn’t be for the unpleasant cold, Robert could easily call this season his favourite, but in the end he would remain the sun pampered man he always had been. And as if he has summoned it, he started to feel the prickly grab of the incoming breeze clinging to his bare feet, penetrating his skin like an army of invisible needles, making him take a deep breath, jump back and shiver. Yes, this was enough, time to close the door again and retreat into the comforting warmth, since Pancake wouldn’t come back that easily. Trying to shake the chill away, he shook his food before pressing it onto the ground to let the heating give him a genial massage.

“At least one here knows how to appreciate the weather.” a drowsy voice echoed from the open kitchen isle.

Robert turned his head to spot his wife preparing the kettle, wearing the same morning robe as him - however, the silk around her lean body shined in aquamarine blue, while his was dark as the wine they had enjoyed the night before. Her hair was fluffy and tousled, barely implying how they were supposed to be, and her cheeks slightly rosy. 

“Did we wake you up?” he inquired as he stepped into the isle, leaning against the wooden frame that separated it from the living room - he always loved the bizarre mix of appropriate modernism, nearly futuristic, combined with the rustic tones of open bricks, stones and old fashioned elements. A coalition of opposites he always associates with the woman who just started to make some tea and coffee.

“No,” she shook her head, rubbing her right eye with the back of her hand. “I was snoozing for a while already and I was just looking for excuses to stay in bed. It’s beautiful outside, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. Would be much more enjoyable if I didn’t have to leave today.” He pulled his robe closer together.

Gillian perked a brow, red-eyed - obviously more asleep than wake - and glanced at him for a few seconds before turning herself away to the expensive coffee machine and scratching her left calf with her right foot.

“For your yoga lesson, I assume.” 

Silence was the response Page gave to her as he chewed on his lower lip and moving his shoulders up and down as his hands quickly wandered into his soft pockets. The woman in blue only peeked over her shoulders and snuffled unimpressed, releasing a deep sigh.

“So that means you are going to GARM after all.”

“Only an inspection.”

“Are you still planning to acquire it?”

“Technically, my dear,” the ginger stepped in and leaned on the stone plate in the middle of the room with his head tilted, “It always has been our property. One way or another. It doesn’t matter whose name is on the official papers, since we always commanded what was going to happen there.”

“Not before Dowd and his friends made sure the EU had to sell it to us, Robert.” Gillian objected with an amused chuckle. 

The humming of the machine peaked for a moment, as hot steam left its insides to fill the charcoal mug beneath it with the brown liquid Page’s addicted body secretly longed for - and as if they had an arrangement, the kettle with boiling water calmed down in the exact same moment. The spacious place got filled with the charismatic aroma of Robert’s favourite kind of coffee, tickling his nose and igniting the desire to taste the delicious drink. And it was only an arm-length away after Gillian placed the mug in front of him with a tired, yet cocky smile.

“And exactly those people would be very ‘not amused’ when you would miss yet another lesson. I won’t be the one explaining the why this time, even Morgan is getting annoyed as you certainly know.”

She gently nudged the tip of his nose with her right pointer finger, a wide smile exposing her white teeth before she placed a deep kiss on his lips. “And good morning, by the way.”

A warming shiver went down his body as their lips separated again, and with his eyes half closed, he paused for a moment to look at her and returned the smile. Then, his hands finally reached out for the mug.

“Well, the lesson was about 2 hours ago.” There was no regret in his tone - on the contrary. He sounded like someone who took pride in not doing something his superiors expected him to do and his lips bent to a satisfied smirk.

Gillian drooped her head at his words and sighed even louder than before. 

“Uh, yes, if this is the case, I know won’t bail you out this time for sure. I want to see how you will attempt to smooth-talk your way out.” With a nod and wink she pointed at the living room. “Take a seat, I just want to finish that tea here. Under those circumstances, talking about GARM looks like the way more pleasant alternative.”

“Oh, so you want to join me today?” His voice surprised, with a hint of hope.

“Maybe. And here I hoped I could have at least one free and lazy day with the first snow of the year. But perhaps a place in the middle of nowhere is exactly what you and I need right now.”

With a little bow with his mug raised, for once he was obedient and walked back into the living room illuminated in soft blue and white hues, underlining the frosty and winterly atmosphere - and he know exactly what was missing, even in this early hour. The mug placed on the coffee table, Robert walked across the room to the fireplace and filled it with fresh wood billet after blowing away some of the ashes from last night. Soft crackling noises tuned in to fill the peaceful place with some life and background noise, and the red in his eyes found its equal in front of them. The warmth started to tickle and embrace his relaxed face.

“Good thinking” the woman’s voice interrupted the barely existing period of silence. She took a seat on the cosy corner of one of the couches, covered in countless pillows, and held her mug in her lap with her legs crossed and calves exposed under the robe. “So, please, fill me in about your plans, Robs.”

“How much do you know about the facility?” he inquired, sitting down next to her.

“Not much besides it’s location, honestly. It never crossed my desk as it never seemed to be something I should take care of regarding Belltower, unlike RBS and out other active research places.”

“True, it never was. Officially, it was always meant to geological data as it was built at one Europe’s last glacier. Drilling holes, catalogued, analysed, you know the drill. They tried to find more about nature and possible new resources to be used for humanity.”

“So, why did Belltower acquire it in our name and not one of our scientific fronts? It doesn’t seem quite militaristic to me. I can’t remember you ever mentioning this to me or making that decision.” Gillian scratched the back of her head as she pondered his words.

“Because I didn’t, Morgan was the one in 2025 when we were busy getting our OCM projects started. He may have mentioned it once or twice to me back then, but I didn’t pay any attention as it was irrelevant. Belltower used it as a secret operative base, as its location was simply perfect: In the middle of Europe in a remote place, no one would suspect any suspicious activity there and it was an ideal place to reach any important city in a few hours. Just like our blacksites it was hidden under an official name in the middle of nowhere.”

“Yeah and we saw how well that turned out. Slapping names and logos on everything might now be very wise.”

“Yet Belltower took the shot for RBS, not Versalife. Not you, not me. We came out with our hands clean.”

His wife narrowed her eyes at his last words, her expression drifting from neutral interest into a strange portrait of moroseness. “You were not the one who saw it all.” she murmured into her mug as she took another sip to cut off any questions her loud thoughts could cause. 

“So I assume you want to do exactly the same, just under more control? I can see why doing it yourself could be more safe in that case, as making Tarvos the ones officially owning it could be indeed a little bit suspicious. You know some things are not as easy as they used to before, there are shards on the ground now.”

Page’s face lit up as he tilted his head with a smile. “Exactly. And who knows, perhaps we might find other, resourceful opportunities that emerge with that acquisition. This is why I want to inspect it in great detail before making the final decision. And what is better than seeing it with your own eyes?” He moved closer to poke her waist with this elbow. “If we are lucky, we can kill two or even more birds with one stone!” 

“Oh, right.” Gillian frowned and rubbed her forehead while leaning back to rest her heavy, sleep-deprive head on the soft edge of the couch that hugged and pampered her sore muscles. To her surprise, her mind and body were still in the tight grip of rest and sleep, and her perception was clouded through a wall of cotton - everything sounded muted and not from this world. But she wasn’t annoyed but instead highly relieved, the long, haunting episodes of non-existent sleep has found its temporary end. “Lucius wanted you do create a new Spec Ops team focussing on the aug issue, right?”

“That and some sleeper cells that will be placed in all those slums and ghettos that are created while we speak. Especially the mood in the Czech Republic is changing rapidly. The once shining diamond, a perfected jewel of what an augmented society can achieve turning into the merciless sledgehammer that will crush it into pieces. A shameful display, isn’t it?” To give his words more weight, the ginger raised his fist before letting it fall into his other hand. “I thought the old man approached you about this as well.”

“He did,” the woman in blue responded, her odd eyes resting on the latest alterations on her husband’s body - once again a change in his face she would have to get used to, and she couldn’t help herself as she couldn’t take her sight off of those two blue dots every time they discussed the political climate and the associated social tensions. A shiver went down her spine, and it wasn’t from the cold that sneaked into their place. “We briefly discussed how we will manage the surveillance of those places and on which parties we should focus on next.”

“And?”

“Well, him and I agreed that the Santeau Group, especially their CEO Nathaniel Brown, should be a faction we should put on our priority list. With the upcoming constructional needs you have mentioned and their ridiculous pet project in the Omani desert, it’s very likely they will raise up and grow. How big is hard to tell, but there is always a line that shouldn’t be crossed. And of course there will be some political groups like the Augmented Rights Coalition we are already taking care of since they were founded in this year’s July.”

A deep sigh came from her, as she continued to rub her pulsating temples. “Hey Robs, can we discuss such things when I haven’t left the bed like 5 minutes ago without even finishing my morning tea?” Gillian groaned with a raspy voice. “I feel like my thoughts are just spinning and mixing up things. I hate this.”

“Oh course we can, My Love.” His warm hand slowly stroked her exposed thigh in an affectionate manner, his smile sympathetic and understanding. “So what do you say? Breakfast in Geneva? Perhaps we can call the Old Man and ask him for some recommendations?” A wink as he couldn’t suppress his chuckle.

“The first part sounds absolutely wonderful and something I could really use right now, the second absolutely dreadful and horrible and something no one can ever make me do.” Gillian’s pale face warming up, returning his infectious snicker and filling the room with their amused laughs.

“Splendid. I will call Armin to prepare the jet. We will be back this evening to enjoy this year’s snow in peace, I promise.”

“I know.”

They both leaned in for a kiss.


End file.
